Photography as an art form developed over the course of time from the simple viewing and drawing box known as the Camera Obscura in the 1500s, sometimes contained in a full sized room. Later, in the 1800s, the recording of images became a reality by means of photosensitive chemical emulsion layers. In the more recent decades, digital technologies enabled the capture and storage of images on digital media.
As photographic technology advanced, further attainability and functionality developed. What began as a privilege of the wealthy made way for affordable visual documentation for the masses. This also led to further development of motion pictures, series of still photographs captured and replayed in rapid succession to create the visual sensation of motion. The field of photography has recently experienced great advances related to methods and inventions related to the actual recording of images.
One fusion of still photograph technologies and motion picture technologies consists of the capture of a great number of still photographs over a relatively long period of time. Subsequently, playback in the form of a motion picture can take place by displaying the photographs in rapid succession at varying rates. While at times playback can take place at a rate of fifteen frames per second or lower, playback typically takes place at least twenty four frames per second to enable visualization of a full scope movement over a long time period in a relatively short time frame. The capture of such motion related subject matter that otherwise occurs over the course of a long time-period for subsequent display within a condensed time frame is commonly referred to as time-lapse photography.
Time-lapse photography enabled viewers of images produced and displayed as a result of associated methods to see action in what once appeared as static over short time intervals. For instance, at a glance, a viewer may perceive the blooming of a flower or the dynamic movement of the stars as unremarkable or motionless. However, by condensing the playback of images related to such subject matter obtained through time-lapse photography, a viewer of the condensed playback can more clearly perceive the associated movement. Furthermore, time-lapse photography enables the user to capture much higher definition images as each frame is a fully-exposed image. This provides for a potentially higher resolution than other forms of video capture.
Similar to video capture, many users prefer the ability to provide additional motion to the images during the sequence of image capture. Such motion may comprise of tracking, panning, tilting, zooming, or a coordination of at least two of such motions. Tracking, characterized by transversal movement of the camera, typically moves the camera along a substantially linear path. Panning, characterized by a rotational movement of the camera, typically rotates the camera about a fixed axis while maintaining a consistent horizon orientation. Tilting, characterized by a rotational movement of the camera, typically rotates the camera about a fixed axis while maintaining a constant vertical orientation. Zooming, characterized by a dynamic change of focal length, maintains a camera body orientation while changing the focal length, typically changes the focal length in a substantially consistent manner. Sometimes users of video cameras found it advantageous and more desirable to provide motion to the camera to follow a subject or convey a larger view of a landscape. In the same manner, users sometimes find it more desirable to provide motion in conjunction with time-lapse photography sequence captures to create a feeling that the viewer is moving during the time-lapse. This motion time-lapse photography effect is added to provide both functional and aesthetic improvements to the footage, to enable a user to film a larger viewing area during the capture of said footage, as opposed to the use of a static camera position during the capture of said footage that only enables a user to capture a limited subsection of the environment. However, it is not feasible to provide such motion to a camera without specialized equipment to provide discrete and consistent control over the length of the time-lapse sequence capture.
The use of time-lapse and motion time-lapse photography began in the late nineteenth century. Still, until very recently, motion time-lapse photography has been a method generally only available to those with heavy, large and expensive equipment. If one wanted to control the motion of a camera with actions such as panning, tracking or tilting of the camera, the only means to provide the level of precise and finite control necessary for effective time-lapse photography required cumbersome equipment.
Until 1975, the primary medium enabling the recording of photographic information made heavy use of photosensitive chemical layers. Eastman-Kodak upset that paradigm in that year with the inception of the digital camera. Presently, the digital camera stands as a state-of-the-art and ubiquitous visual documentation apparatus. Digital camera related technologies have integrated into a variety of devices including, pocket sized phones, computers, music players and a great many other devices.
Although many developments associated with digital camera related technologies led to inventions that created more affordable and attainable small-form photographic information capture devices, the creation of products enabling the use of these products to create time-lapse photographs, particularly those with added motion did not progress at the pace of the digital camera. The prior art inventions enabling the everyday user to capture such time-lapse sequences miss the mark.
Some prior art provides a purely mechanical solution comprising an everyday rotary timer or similar mechanism. This solution is quite simple and cost-effective. The problem however with such devices is that they enable only a low fidelity control of motion. Furthermore, such mechanical or continuously driven systems cannot pause for long exposure times to adequately execute a long exposure frame often necessary for time-lapse photography. Moreover, such devices are characteristically deficient of allowing customization based on user input.
Currently available electrically powered solutions known in the prior art provide varying fidelity of control and quality of time-lapse motion control. Many of the multitude of problems with the prior art related to programmable motion-controlled time-lapse photography stem from a large, cumbersome form factor. This is due to reasons associated with the enabling technologies and utility of such prior art products. As a result, the units remain too cumbersome and impractical for the common consumer.
Furthermore, such large, cumbersome units require additional stabilizing equipment such as a tripod or other support devices to provide a larger effective footprint. Some prior art devices associated with time-lapse photography provide a higher level of fidelity of control than those of the purely mechanical solutions through utilization of servo-motors. The category of electrically driven motors most commonly used with prior art motion time-lapse photography devices consists of brushless induction motors, DC motors, stepper-motors and servo-motors. Servo-motors, commonly used in high-precision requirement applications such as tight tolerance CNC machines, provide a high level of control and motive fidelity. However, servo-motors require more controlling hardware and have a higher price-point than other electrically driven motive options. As a result the price-point of products employing servo-motors remains prohibitive for many, thusly the majority of the use of such products is limited to professional use.
Prior art in the field of motion controlled time-lapse photography generally exists in a segment that many would consider a professional market segment. This increased price point results from the use of enabling technology such as servo-motors. A servo-motor provides constant feedback by way of an encoder that can provide the controller with an accurate position of the servo-motor via feedback output. Servo-motors exhibit a more reliable and higher-fidelity controlled usage over other electrically powered motive means, however the increased functionality comes at a cost. Although servo-motors enable a higher level of control for the user and time-lapse capture, the use of such a motor leads to a much higher cost in a product incorporating a servo-motor.
A market gap exists for such equipment in the consumer space revolving about the limitations of the enabling technologies available to such devices for consumers. A programmable time-lapse product may utilize servo-motors which is an electrically driven axial motor with internal encoder to communicate its exact position at any given point. Servo-motors require little or no power when they have reached their desired position. Servo-motors also turn back on when disturbed from that position. This allows them to hold position against external forces very efficiently and requiring they power up only when movement occurs, and communicate to the controller accordingly. Resultantly, servo-motors exhibit little to no power consumption to remain axially constrained at any given position, and typically do not exhibit backlash. However the problem with servo-motors is that they remain cost prohibitive and can resultantly drive final retail prices higher than what a standard consumer justifies paying for such enabling technologies. Alternatively, one may provide motive means by way of utilization of a stepper-motor, a brushless DC electric motor that divides a full rotation into a number of equal steps.
Stepper-motors are utilized en lieu of servo-motors in a variety of computer controlled applications. An advantage of stepper-motors, in many applications unrelated to time-lapse photography, is that they are attainable at a consumer-friendly price-point. Part of the reasoning behind this cost differential pertains to a lack of feedback offered by stepper-motors versus the servo-motors. However in use, stepper-motors still provide a consistent, predictable and controllable motion. The problem with stepper-motors, although typically more cost-effective than servo-motors, is that they provide a lower level of control and fidelity of movement. In comparison to servo-motors, a stepper motor must always draw power if the user is concerned about movement caused by external forces.
The use of a lower fidelity motive mechanism such as stepper-motors can prove problematic due imprecise axial control and stability. Similar to a servo-motor, a stepper-motor may receive a command to cause it to step, or rotate. However, in a stepper-motor, no mechanism or feedback loop exists to output a confirmation that proper execution has occurred. This is problematic due to inherent backlash, which is a loss of motion transmission due to gaps or clearance between moving parts, such as meshing gears internal to or external to driving motors.
The inherent backlash described above creates angular instability and allows the drive-system mechanisms such as a stepper-motor, gears or final-drive mechanism to freely rotate. Any amount of free-rotation allowing for unintended movement is undesirable as even movements of 0.1 degrees rotation can be perceived by the human eye. A common solution to such backlash or external forces issues utilizes what many refer to as an “active hold.” An active hold requires constant power draw by the stepper-motor. The problems arising from such practice are many. Such problems include the stepper-motor necessarily operating at high temperatures, potentially causing damage to the stepper-motor and other related apparatuses. Furthermore, although an active hold keeps the stepper-motor constrained, it cannot assure the constraint of ancillary drive system mechanisms used in conjunction with a stepper-motor. An active hold solution can produce other undesirable effects including increased power drainage requiring increased battery capacity. In many applications, the required increased battery capacity accentuates weight and size problems.
In addition to backlash problems, when not receiving power, steppers in the prior art remain prone to rotation by external force creating unintended motion under some conditions including a windy environment acting upon a mounted camera. An active hold is sometimes utilized as a solution to this problem as well. Once again, this produces undesirable effects including increased power drainage requiring increased battery capacity. In many applications, the required increased battery capacity accentuates weight and size problems.
Another problem with existing prior art products associated with time-lapse photography stems from the limitation of use regarding multiple degrees of freedom. The prior art does not allow for modularity in the sense that one may not use multiple motion time-lapse photography devices in concert. Furthermore, if a user requires multiple degrees of freedom with regard to motion, the restrictions associated with prior art devices restrict the user to purchase a singular unit enabled for such movement. This results in reduced affordability and potentially reduced usability for users, as many users may choose not to purchase upgrades featuring increased functionality due to costs.
Yet another problem with the prior art devices in the field of the invention stems from non-intuitive device interface, programming and status information. As a result, the prior art requires a period of training and learning to operate a unit. Furthermore the programming of such units sometimes require programming via a computer, further requiring additional equipment and negating any decreased form-factor advantages. Many prior art devices additionally feature integrated programming interfaces, which increase the form factor and cost of such devices.